To Escape Bowser's Wrath
by SpiritOfChaos
Summary: Bowser has something huge planned, and he will stop at nothing to realize his goal. No one but Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa seems to care, however. How will they be able to stop Bowser when they are too far away from home?
1. Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa's Intro

-Chapter 1-

As Endgame flew past the gates, he looked back to see that the Chain Chomps were no longer chasing him. Running with all his might, he sprinted off to the light shining from the hole, illuminating the dimly-lit room in front of him.

"Almost there..."

Flying up, he could see that the hole was getting sealed up. Making sure the box was tucked into his shell securely, he pierced through the rock-covered opening. Glad that he escaped, he soared through the skies above Bowser's Castle, landing on the balcony of Bowser's throne room. Bowser, who was somewhat annoyed, looked outside to see Endgame's silhouette idling near the edge.

"Who is it? Just get in here already!"

Endgame jumped at Bowser's sudden outburst.

"Coming, sir." Endgame walked inside and stood before the Koopa King.

"Did you manage to get it?"

"I did." The armored Paratroopa presented the sealed box to Bowser.

"Excellent. Return to your post."

Endgame nodded, then left the room. Bowser looked at the box with an evil smirk. The sooner it was open, the sooner he could take revenge on the Mushroom Kingdom. He burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, his minions in the hallways giving him strange looks.

Meanwhile, Yoshi and Boo were sitting on a stump near their treehouse.

"Boo, I'm bored. Do we have anything to do today?"

"Yoshi, this is the tenth time you've asked me that!"

"I know, but I'm bored!" Yoshi whined.

Then, Paratroopa flew up to the two. Yoshi's face immediately lit up.

"Hey guys! What's up?"

"Nothing, just listening to Yoshi complain about how bored he is." said Boo, looking at Yoshi as he began to walk around in a circle.

"But I'm bored!" Boo and Paratroopa facepalmed.

"If you're bored, why don't you read a book?" Boo suggested.

Immediately, Yoshi rolled around on the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

"Ha! Good one, Boo! You nearly got me there!"

Paratroopa sighed. "But he was serious..."

"Oh. Well, that's a lot more boring than what we're doing now."

Suddenly, a Goomba ran past the three. They nodded, then ran after the fleeing Goomba.

"Hey, why are you people following me?"

"Where are you going?" asked Boo.

"I'm trying to get as far away from this place as possible!"

"But why? Is something wrong?"

"Yes! Now just let me run!" The Goomba sprinted ahead of the trio.

The trio stopped running and went back to the treehouse.

"Wow, that Goomba is really paranoid..." Yoshi said, eating a cookie.

Paratroopa flew up and knocked some apples off the tree above them. "Let's just get back to enjoying this day!"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa sat down on the soft grass, admiring the clouds in the sky. They, like everyone else in the area, were not aware of the subtle changes in the athmospere.


	2. Bowser's Search Initiates

-Chapter 2-

Bowser, sleeping on his throne, woke up to see that the box was still not open. Enraged, he got up and let out a shrill cry. Immediately, two Koopatrol guards ran to his side, attempting to help.

"Is something wrong, King Bowser?"

"Your yelling was a lot louder than usual, sire."

"Yes, there's something wrong! This box won't open!" Bowser growled, punching the box as he did.

"Have you tried _opening_ it?"

"YES, I DID!"

Frustrated, he picked up the two guards and threw them out of his room. He walked over to a door across from his room. There was a sign on it that read, "Kamek's Room".

"Kamek, open up!" Bowser punched the doors, eventually causing them to collapse.

Looking through the hole that held his door together, Kamek walked out to find Bowser glaring down at him menacingly. He adjusted his glasses, then, using his wand, levitated the door back into place.

"Yes, sir? This is the twentieth time this week that you've broken my door down..."

"This box won't open!" Bowser furiously stomped on the box, but it didn't open.

"Okay, I'll try, Bowser." Kamek pointed his wand at the sealed box.

As he raised his wand and pointed it upwards, the box floated higher and higher into the air. Geometric shapes began to circle it.

"Just open the box!" Bowser yelled, beginning to get impatient.

"Alright, sheesh. No need to yell."

With a snap of his fingers, the box opened. Inside was a crystalline orb of glass and a scroll. Bowser picked it up and looked at it in confusion.

"What's this supposed to do?" Bowser roared. "I thought this would help me take revenge!"

Ignoring Bowser, Kamek unfurled the scroll.

"Look! This is a map!" Kamek called. "Bowser?"

Kamek put down the map to see Bowser throwing the orb around.

"Sir, don't do that! That's the main part of the staff!" Kamek flailed his arms around, hoping to get Bowser's attention.

"It is? A staff, huh? Kamek, get the troops! We're going on a search!" Bowser said, climbing into his airship.

"But sir, what about Mario and his friends?" Kamek picked up the box and its contents.

"They're getting ready for some big party; if they're doing something like that, they'll be busy. You need to lighten up! Not everything we do gets thwarted by those Mario Bros. and the others!" Bowser chuckled.

Kamek sighed, then entered the airship's control room with Bowser. As they got on, the Magikoopa snuck a peek at his crystal ball. Looking inside, he saw Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa approaching the castle. Taking notice of them, he teleported out.

Outside of Bowser's castle, Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa were walking along the rim of the porch, looking around for an entrance into Bowser's throne room.

"Yoshi, what are we doing this for? This doesn't make any sense!" Paratroopa said as they walked into Bowser's room.

"I concur with Para; this is an invasion of someone's privacy! Even Bowser has a sense of privacy!" Yoshi merely scoffed.

"We're looking to see if Bowser has anything evil planned! Mario and all the other people are busy with their 'party'." Boo glared at Yoshi.

Then, out of nowhere, in a puff of smoke, Kamek appeared. He looked at the trio in mock surprise.

"Oh no! It's Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa! Whatever could you be doing here?"

"Kamek! What are you doing here?" Yoshi growled in defiance.

"I live here, you imbeciles! And you're intruding!"

Yoshi and Paratroopa got into battle stances and prepared their water guns. Boo looked around the throne room.

"Ugh. Spare me the ridiculous attempts of resistance. Whatever you're going to do, it'll fail."

"That's it! I figured out your plan! You're trying to take revenge on the Mushroom Kingdom!" Boo pulled out a piece of paper.

"But you won't be able to do ANYTHING from where you're going!" Kamek raised his wand.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do with that?" Boo inquired.

Kamek rubbed his chin in thought. Then, he smirked evilly.

"I'm going to send you somewhere far away so you don't derail Bowser's plans."

"Uh, no, you're not." Paratroopa said.

"And why is that?"

Paratroopa flew up and rammed Kamek into the wall, grabbing his wand in the process. Yoshi and Boo hung onto Paratroopa's bag, and they flew out through a window. Coming to his senses, the Magikoopa got onto his broom and flew in pursuit.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"Para, fly faster!" Yoshi and Boo yelled.


	3. Escape From Bowser's Castle

-Chapter 3-

Paratroopa flew past the dark and ominous clouds surrounding Bowser's land. Yoshi and Boo hung on as tight as they could, hoping that they would not fall down into the swirling torrent of lava below. Then, suddenly, the wand poofed back into Kamek's hands.

"Para, fly faster! He's gaining on us!" Yoshi yelled.

"He's raising his wand! Get ready for something!" Boo said, looking back at Kamek.

"I can tell!"

With that, Paratroopa flew to the right, dodging a blast of geometric shapes from Kamek's wand.

"You hooligans won't get away this time!" Kamek kicked his broom, and it began to fly faster.

"Hey! Look, I can see the edge of Bowser's domain! We have to cross the boundaries!" Boo said to Paratroopa.

"Yeah! Hang on guys, this is going to be a rough flight!"

Paratroopa maneuvered around the bolts of lightning running down the clouds with ease. However, Kamek gave a sneer, then threw his wand at the trio. The wand transformed into a Hooligon.

"Hah! Let's see how you three deal with this!"

Kamek directed the Hooligon over to the three. It began to slither through the air in pursuit.

"Para, what is that thing chasing us?"

"It's a Hooligon! A creature from the edges of the Whoa Zone!"

The Hooligon wrapped around Yoshi's shoe and began to hurl shapes at the three.

"Ahh! Get it off!" Yoshi shrieked in fear.

"Gotcha!" Boo gave it a whack on the head, and it plummeted into a cliff.

Kamek kicked his broom and gained a quick burst of speed. Noticing this, Paratroopa turned backwards.

"Para! Which way are you going?" Yoshi yelled, somewhat panicked.

"I'm trying to get him off our backs!" Paratroopa retorted.

"I've got you brats now!" Immediately, Kamek fired a beam of light from his wand, striking the trio.

"Oh no! Para, dodge it!" Boo looked back at Kamek.

"It's too fast! We'll never get out of its range in time!"

With a blinding light, the three disappeared. Satisfied with that, Kamek flew back to Bowser's castle.

Meanwhile, back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach was still preparing for the celebration. Toadsworth walked up to her as she checked off the checklist.

"Your Majesty, what of the Mario Bros? Where have they gone off to?"

"Toadsworth! They're just guarding the kingdom from Bowser's troops!" Peach gave Toadsworth a pat on the head.

"I suppose you're right, but- By-boogity! What is that?"

"What's wrong, Toadsworth?" Peach looked looked at Toadsworth, then directed her attention to what he was staring at.

The two looked at Petey Piranha, who was flapping his leaves and hovering above the ground. The Toads ran away from Petey in a panicked frenzy. Taking action, Peach grabbed her parasol and charged towards Petey.

"You will NOT harm my subjects, Petey!" Peach shot Petey a menacing glare.

"Hey, I didn't want to be here, okay?" Petey scoffed, then went back to setting the town ablaze.

Peach's face turned red for a moment, and she walked to her room and slammed the door shut. Petey flew up to the somewhat broken door.

"Are you going to sit in there all day? Ahahaha!" Petey laughed mockingly.

"Erm...Your Majesty?" Toadsworth backed up from the door.

Suddenly, Peach slammed the door open with a big grin on her face. She wore a blue shell over her dress and held two boomerangs in hand.

"What's with the Halloween costume?" Petey rolled around on the floor in laughter.

Peach smirked, then threw a flaming boomerang at Petey. She grinned, then threw a few more.

"Yowch! Alright, I get it! Stop- Ow!" Petey flew out through a hole in the wall.

Peach gave a smirk, then walked back into her room. Toadsworth and two other Toads stood dumbfounded as the door to Peach's room fell to the ground with a loud thud.


	4. The Island And Toadsworth's Dress

-Chapter 4-

Yoshi, Boo, and Paratroopa began to wake up. Looking around, they found themselves on the sandy shore of an island.

"Ugh...Where are we?" Yoshi looked back at Boo and Paratroopa, who were still recovering.

"I don't know, but we should probably look around." Boo said.

"Agreed." They nodded in agreement.

Paratroopa picked up their scattered belongings and put them back in his bag. Boo floated above the tall trees.

"I can't tell where we are!" Yoshi threw a pebble into the waves.

The pebble skimmed the surface of the water, then sunk into the crashing waves below.

"Well, in any case, we have to get out of here." Partaroopa got out a map and unfurled it.

Yoshi yawned and stood on a narrow branch. Boo played around with a pebble.

"So do you know where we are yet, Para?" Yoshi asked.

"Unfortunately, no. But we appear to be on an island of some sort."

"Okay then, if you need us, we'll be playing around."

Yoshi walked on the tree branch while Boo was looking over a stone pillar. Paratroopa ignored the two and looked over the map again.

"I know what to do!" Paratroopa shouted.

Yoshi fell to the ground with a thud after losing balance.

"Ow. What do we have to do? Can it not involve falling off trees?"

"We have to get to the other side of this island!"

"How do you plan on doing that, Para?" Boo asked.

Paratroopa sighed.

"Well, I don't think we can fly because Yoshi can't fly."

"Don't rub it in." Yoshi pouted.

"Let's take a hot-air balloon." Boo suggested.

"...What? Where are we going to get one? We're on the shore of an unknown island!"

The trio walked around for a few hours until they found a huge mound of fallen leaves.

"Hey, look! I see something behind the huge pile of leaves!" Boo said, pointing to a wooden plank under the leaves.

"Wait...What's that?"

Looking in Paratroopa's direction, they could see a golden Lakitu hovering overhead, a menacing look on his face. Paratroopa pulled out a book from his shell and opened it up.

"According to my book, that is a Lakitu, a sub-species of Koopa that rides on clouds and throws Spinies."

"What's a sub-species? You should use small words that we can understand."

"Never mind that, we have to beat it." Paratroopa said.

"How are we gonna beat it?" Yoshi asked.

"Let's knock it off its cloud!" Boo said.

Upon hearing this, the Lakitu grabbed onto its cloud and hid inside. Boo and Paratroopa flew up in pursuit of the fleeing Lakitu, while Yoshi attempted to knock it off by throwing rocks at him. After a few minutes, the cloud evaporated, and the Lakitu fell to the ground.

"You won't get away from me next time!" The Lakitu ran away.

"Well, that was awkward, wasn't it?" Paratroopa chuckled.

"Yeah, it was. But at least we can get through now." Boo sighed in relief.

The three walked into the forest. Inside, there were rays of sunlight shining down through the trees, illuminating their path. They looked around in awe as creatures of all shapes and sizes roamed around.

"Wow, this place is so cool!" Paratroopa looked around in amazement.

"For you, maybe, but the light from the trees is making me all tingly inside." Boo stated.

"The light isn't coming from the trees, it's coming from the sun. The sun's rays are going through the parts of the ground that haven't been shaded by the trees above."

Yoshi gave a long and heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, in the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach and Toadsworth were supervising the decorations to the town.

"Toadsworth, where is Toadce? She should be back with the supplies for now!"

"I have no idea, your Majesty!"

Peach looked at Toadsworth and blushed a little.

"Toadsworth, why are you wearing a dress?..."

"I am?" Toadsworth asked.

"Yes...You are..." Peach replied quietly.

"I AM? GOOD HEAVENS!" Toadsworth fainted.

Peach couldn't help but laugh a bit. She looked at the town. After the last attack, it still needed repairs. She smiled, then walked to the castle. Toadsworth was lying on the ground with a shocked look on his face. Then, Toad and a Shy Guy passed by.

"Umm, Mr. Toadsworth, are you all right?" The Shy Guy asked.

"I have never been more humiliated in all my life..."

"Toadsworth! Hey, Toadsworth, are you all right?" Toad yelled at him.

"I think he's having one of his moments again."

The Toad and the Shy Guy shrugged.

"Maybe. What should we do?"

"Let's take him back to Peach's castle."

The two picked him up and went to Peach's castle.


	5. Finding The First Shard

-Chapter 5-

"Are we there yet?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, asking that question will not get us there faster." Paratroopa said.

"Aww..." Yoshi and Boo moaned.

The trio kept walking, and a few hours later, they had reached the halfway point of the forest. They stopped and took a break.

"Are we there now?" Yoshi asked, somewhat frustrated.

"No, we're at the halfway point."

"How long is this going to take us, Para?!" Boo asked.

Paratroopa glanced at his map.

"About a few more hours."

"This is boring! Can't we just fly back home?!"

"Yoshi, we don't even know where we are. Boo, stop eating the dirt."

"But it's tasty!"

Paratroopa sighed, then pulled Boo away from the ground. Yoshi gave a little snicker.

"Okay, I guess we should keep going."

After packing up, they set off again. When they saw a faint light, they ran towards it, and ended up in the forest's clearing. They could see the broken-down ruins of a stone tower. The entire area was dimly lit by the tiny slivers of light that managed to leak through the trees.

"Where are we?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, I don't know. Let's look around." Paratroopa said.

The trio walked into the remains of the tower. Inside, it was lit by the light shining into the stained-glass roof and there was a shard of glass on a bush.

"What is that? It looks like...broken glass?"

"I know what this is..." Paratroopa picked up the shard and observed it.

Yoshi and Boo looked over Paratroopa's shoulder.

"It's part of a staff..."

"Aren't staffs and wands the same things?" Yoshi asked.

The shard began to float into the air. It shone with a dim glow that got brighter and brighter with each passing second. Then, electricity began to crackle. Sparks flew around as the whole room was struck by lightning.

"Para, is it supposed to do that?!"

"I have no idea!"

Suddenly, a stray bolt struck Paratroopa and knocked him out.

"What should we do then? Para?"

Yoshi looked back at Paratroopa, who was sprawled out on the ground.

"Yoshi, we have to take cover! It's gonna do something!"

"Gotcha!"

Yoshi and Boo dragged Paratroopa behind a rock. Then, after a blinidng light and a few surges of electricity, the shard finally fell to the ground.

"It stopped!"

Paratroopa began to wake up.

"Ugh...What happened?"

"Para, you're awake! You missed the whole show! The glass was floating and crackling with electricity!"

"My head hurts...Give me a moment."

Paratroopa sat down on a rock while Yoshi and Boo walked up to the shard of glass.

"Let's touch it! Maybe it'll do something cool." Yoshi said.

"Um, I'd rather not..."

"Why? Are you scared of a piece of glass?"

"Yoshi, that piece of glass just floated in the air and created electricity!"

"Boo, you're being a scaredy-cat. It'll be fine, don't worry."

Yoshi picked up the shard and held it up to Boo's face.

"Well, I guess it stopped being all wacky and whatnot?"

"Hey, Para, look at this!"

Paratroopa flew over to the two and looked at the shard. Yoshi handed the shard to Paratroopa, who held it up to the light coming down from the stained-glass roof. The light struck the shard, then reflected towards a wall, creating an intricate pattern.

"Uhh, Para, is it supposed to do that?"

"If what we're holding is part of the right artifact, then yes."

"Um, what do you mean by that?"

Paratroopa gave a long sigh, then proceeded to pull out a scroll from his bag.

"Once upon a time, back a few hundred years ago, there was a mysterious force bent on taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. The Star Spirits used their combined power to banish the force into a magical staff. This is a piece from that same staff."

"So that thing has some crazy monster in it?" Boo asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Paratroopa said, putting the scroll back into the bag.

"So what do we do with it?"

"Well, maybe we should keep it from evil forces." Yoshi suggested.

"Maybe. Let's keep it for now.

Paratroopa looked at the shard. Something seemed to stir inside as the inside began to glow. He ignored it and tucked it into his bag.


	6. Versus Koopatrol Guard Endgame

-Chapter 6-

The trio walked out of the tower's ruins. As they came out, it began to crumble and the collapse revealed a ray of light shining down from the trees.

"Wow, I didn't know the discharge of electricity would make it collapse." Paratroopa said.

"Well, it was already pretty weak before we came around."

"Maybe Boo's right. It would have come down sooner or later."

"What now?" Boo asked.

The trio sat in thought for a moment. Then, suddenly, a branch fell in front the clearing's entrance.

"What was that?"

"I think the entrance has been blocked." Boo said.

"Gee, you think?"

"Well, that doesn't happen naturally. Maybe someone knocked that branch off."

The three examined the branch, and they saw scratch marks.

"Yeah, someone definitely knocked that branch down." Yoshi said.

"But the only 'someone' I know who is capable of doing that is..."

Paratroopa paused for a moment.

"...Endgame."

Then, a blur swept down from the trees and landed in front of the trio. It revealed itself to be Endgame, a blue-shelled Paratroopa covered in armor.

"You guessed right, old friend. How clever."

"Why did you knock that branch down?" Yoshi asked.

"I am preventing you from progressing on your journey." Endgame said.

"And you're doing so because?" Boo asked.

"You have one of the shards that makes up the staff..."

"A-ha! I knew we had the right shard!" Paratroopa yelled.

"Yes, job well done. Now hand that shard over to me!" Endgame said.

Yoshi and Boo grabbed the shard from Paratroopa and ran as fast as they could. Endgame, however, caught up to the two.

"Nice try, you two. Now hand it over."

"Oh, yeah? Hand this!"

Yoshi and Boo punched Endgame in the face. Endgame gasped as Paratroopa pinned him to a tree.

"You...little..."

Paratroopa struggled to keep Endgame pinned down. As Yoshi ran, Endgame did a corkscrew spin and flew away from Paratroopa.

"Yoshi, watch out!" Boo yelled.

"Oh, shoot!"

Yoshi ran into the collapsed ruins of the tower, and Endgame cornered him.

"Nowhere left to run, Yoshi. Now hand it over."

"Uhh..."

Yoshi held the shard up to the light that shone down from above. The shard emitted a bright yellow glow as it was struck by the light.

"Huh? What's this?"

The shard let off a beam that struck Endgame, knocking him out cold.

"That was awesome!" Yoshi shouted.

"Okay, that's great! Let's go before Endgame wakes up!" Paratroopa said.

The trio jumped over the branch and ran away, leaving Endgame lying on the forest floor.

Meanwhile, in the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach had been making a cake inside her kitchen. Then, Toadsworth ran up to the princess.

"Your Majesty, incoming attack!" Toadsworth yelled.

"Oh? Where is it?"

Toadsworth handed Peach a telescope. She looked through it and saw a horde of Buzzy Beetles charging towards the castle.

"Oh, not this again..." Peach sighed.

Then, the Buzzy Beetles rammed at the castle towers. The castle began to rumble.

"Are they attacking yet?"

"By-boogity! Of course they are, what do we do?!" Toadsworth said.

Peach got out a cannon and began to shoot cannon balls at the Buzzy Beetles. A few hours later, she had managed to break all their shells and send them packing back to Bowser's castle.

"Hey, Peach!"

Peach looked back to see a rainbow-colored Yoshi waving at her.

"Oh, hello, Rainbow Yoshi! Did the supplies come yet?"

"Um, there's been a delay, Toadce hasn't returned yet, but we got the supplies..."

"Hmm. Well, she knows how to get back, right? Maybe she just took a short intermission?" Peach suggested.

"Well, no matter, we have to finish preparations for this festival before it passes above us!" Toadsworth said.

"Um, what are we preparing for again?" Rainbow Yoshi asked.

Peach gave a little giggle. Rainbow Yoshi gave a confused glance at Peach and Toadsworth.

"Well, wanna hear a story about the Mushroom Kingdom's past?"

"Sure, why not. I do have some time to kill and all."

So, Peach pulled out a storybook from one of the cabinets in the kitchen's storage room.

"Okay, so back about a thousand years ago, there was a powerful entity that wanted to take over this land. The Star Spirits took it down by sealing it away and creating a seal we, the Mushroom Kingdom, keep check of."

"Um, okay. So what about the seal, and why do we have to do this festival?"

"It's our duty to keep the seal in check by doing this festival. If there is one time in which the festival is not done properly, the seal will gradually weaken, and the mysterious force will escape and unleash its wrath."

"Oh, so we do this because it keeps a monster from eating this land."

"If you put it that way...Yeah, pretty much."

Peach handed the book to Rainbow Yoshi.

"Um, so, that's it?" Rainbow Yoshi said.

"Well, long story short, if we don't do all this, we're doomed. See you, I'm off to check on Mario and Luigi!"

"Okay, see you!"

Rainbow Yoshi sat on the kitchen shelf, reading the storybook. Then, he saw a scary illustration of the mysterious entity.

"Have fun reading that book!"

"Haha, yeah...Of course..."

Toadsworth exited the room with her, closing the door as he left, leaving Rainbow Yoshi sitting on the kitchen shelf with a shocked look on his face as he read further through the book.


	7. Into The Volcano

-Chapter 7-

Meanwhile, on Yoshi's Island, a Koopa Troopa and a Shy Guy were walking up the volcano, holding a glowing shard.

"Well, I guess we found our way out of there..."

"But he'll come after us!"

The Koopa gave a long sigh.

"Okay, whatever. At least normal Piranha Plants can't walk."

"But what if they could?!" The Shy Guy yelled.

"The only Piranha Plant I know who can walk is Petey Piranha. And trust me, he's not normal." He chuckled.

Shy Guy gave a scoff, and then took the shard from the Koopa's hands.

"Says the Koopa who 'went through time'. You're really crazy, Luneck."

"It actually happened, you can ask Toadce or Gusty. And Petey actually walks."

"Hey look, something's coming this way!"

The two looked off to the distance and saw Bowser heading towards them in his Koopa Clown Car, along with a group of Paragoombas and Kamek, who was riding on his broom.

"Oh, no! It's Bowser!"

"He must be after the shard we just got!" the Shy Guy yelled.

"Gee, you think?!" Luneck said.

"What do we do now?! We don't stand a chance against him!"

Luneck looked at the ground in thought.

"What are you thinking of?"

"Something...Something that needs to be done..." Luneck said in a hushed tone.

"And that would be to?"

"E-Excuse me for this..."

Swiping the shard from Shy Guy, Luneck looked down the volcano and gulped. Shy Guy looked at Luneck in confusion.

"Why did you take that from me-" Then, the realization hit him. "No. No, you can't!"

Luneck gave a confirming nod.

"No... You can't possibly be thinking that. It's crazy!"

"It's what has to be done if I plan to keep Bowser from taking this shard."

"So you're just going to get yourself a game-over?!"

"If I throw this down the volcano by itself, there'll be a chance he'll take it from mid-air."

"What- Luneck, you're INSANE! There's a high chance of you failing!"

"I have to do this, my friend. It's a chance that has to be taken."

"No! Luneck, I won't let you do this! It's too dangerous!"

Shy Guy attempted to hold the Koopa back, but he reluctantly swung his arm and knocked Shy Guy back. Luneck took one last glance at Bowser, his troops, and Shy Guy, then leaped forward and plunged towards the bottom of the volcano.

"Wha- After him! Get the shard!" Bowser ordered his troops to go in after Luneck.

Shy Guy, in the midst of all the chaos, fled away from the volcano.

"Well, this is going to be harder than I thought..." Kamek said.

Kamek got on his broom and followed Luneck into the volcano.

"Hand that shard over!"

"Never!"

Kamek grumbled, then sent some geometrical shapes after Luneck.

"After him!" Kamek ordered.

The Paragoombas flew in after Luneck as he continued his descent into the volcano's center, along with the shapes.

(Oh, crud! What should I do?!)

Luneck tapped the shard repeatedly.

(Shoot, I hope this does something!)

The shard began to crackle a bit, then let loose a discharge that sent all the Paragoombas flying and caused the shapes to disintegrate into the dense air, leaving only Luneck and Kamek plunging deeper and deeper into the volcano.

"Give me that shard, you impudent Koopa!"

"Never!"

Kamek gave a long sigh, then created a bubble that trapped Luneck.

"Wha- Darn it!"

He then flew up on his broom, bringing the bubble towards him.

"There, problem solved. Now hand over that shard."

"I shall do no such thing!" With a slight frown, Luneck tucked the shard into his shell.

Kamek gave a long sigh, then popped the bubble with his wand, causing Luneck to fall into Bowser's Koopa Clown Car. Bowser gave an evil smirk.

"Oh, crud..."

Bowser and Luneck gave Kamek strange looks as he began to laugh manaically. After a few minutes, Bowser stopped the Magikoopa's laughter, and flew back to his castle, the small ragtag group of Paragoombas and Kamek in tow.

Shy Guy turned back and saw Luneck, kidnapped by Bowser and his group.

"Luneck!"

Meanwhile, the trio had reached the outside of the forest. In a few hours' time, they had reached a mountainous area.

"Where are we going?" Yoshi asked.

"I don't know, I would consult the map, but part of it got covered in the rubble during the discharge." Paratroopa said.

Boo looked off to the distance. He saw a bright light shining from the fields.

"Hey guys, I see something bright!" Boo said.

"Boo, I'd advise you not to stare at bright things for too long."

"Let's-a go!" Yoshi said.

Boo and Paratroopa snickered.

"Are you trying to sound like Mario?" Boo said, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Hey! I happen to have this habit because of Yoshio and his talk about Mario. Seriously, he's like an obsessive fanboy."

"Yeah, good for you." Paratroopa said as he pulled out a compass.

"Wow. What DON'T you keep in there?" Yoshi asked.

"Well, I don't have a map anymore, and we don't have any items. Any healing items, at least."

The trio headed towards the light emanating from the distant fields. They didn't notice the shard in their bag, glowing with a faint light.


	8. Boohemoths and Shrinking Houses

-Chapter 8-

In a few hours' time, the trio, along with Wings, neared the area where the portal had opened.

"Okay, so before we return, did we forget anything or lose anyone?"

Yoshi raised his hand.

"Yes, Yoshi?"

"Where's Wings?" Yoshi asked.

"Huh, did he come with us?"

"I hope he did, or else we gotta backtrack and find him again-"

Just then, Wings fell down from a tree branch and landed on Paratroopa.

"D'oh! Oww..."

"Hey guys!" Wings called out cheerfully.

"Found him!" Yoshi said.

Paratroopa glared at Boo, who was snickering very loudly.

"Wings, get off of me."

Wings shrugged, then stepped off of Paratroopa's shell.

"Okay, any MORE interruptions?"

"Uhh, is the thing behind you an 'interruption', Para?!"

"What are you- Oh..."

They looked back and saw a gigantic Boohemoth. It let out an ear-shattering noise that sounded like a cross between a roar and a screech.

"Uhh, what should we do now?!" Wings yelled.

"Let's fight it!" Yoshi said.

Boo and Paratroopa flew up and threw fireballs at the massive Boohemoth, but it floated about, completely undeterred by their attacks. It swung its arm and knocked the two out of the sky.

"Wow, that looks like it hurts..." Wings said.

"How do you stop these things?!" Boo said, collapsed on the ground.

"According to my book, Boohemoths are defeated by using Shiny Stars."

"Para, do you have a Shiny Star?!"

"Yeah, I think I do, let me find it."

Paratroopa rummaged through his bag and found a Shiny Star, which he immediately threw to Yoshi. Upon touching the star, Yoshi turned a bright yellow, and he shimmered in the light of the sun.

"Okay, time to show the guy who's boss!"

Yoshi jumped several times, then flutter-jumped straight into the Boohemoth, causing it to disintegrate into purple smoke. The effects of the Shiny Star wore off, and Yoshi returned to his normal color.

"That was awesome!" Wings said.

"Yeah. Yoshi, apparently, is the only one in our trio who actually wants to do that." Boo stated.

"Well, it's fun going head-on against the bad guys!" Yoshi said, striking a victory pose.

"Okay, so our next course of action would be to- Gah!"

Paratroopa took a look at Yoshi, then fainted.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad!" Yoshi said.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Yoshi was walking around Toad Town, with book in hand.

"Huh, this place looks a lot better than the last time I came here."

Then, a Shy Guy walked up to him.

"Rainbow Yoshi, you gotta help me, Luneck jumped down a volcano, but Kamek and Bowser caught him, and they got a shard, and you gotta help me get him back because no one else would help me and you're the only one left to ask!"

"Can't we do this some other time?!"

"But I need your help now! This is important, and you gotta come with me!"

"Is it as important as a monster eating the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Wait, what? Oh, never mind that, I'll explain this to you again."

After a few minutes of explaining, Rainbow Yoshi gave a confused look.

"Wha- Did you even get any of that?!"

"You were talking really fast, and I don't really expect ANYONE to understand what you said! Plus, I really don't want to help you and get caught up in another dangerous adventure!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really!"

The two continued to argue, even as a crowd was forming around them. A few hours later, they had tired themselves out, as they were lying on the ground of Toad Town's Square.

"Okay, we'll continue this tomorrow..." Rainbow Yoshi said.

"You do realize that we went off-topic, right?"

"Wait, what were we talking about again?"

Shy Guy started to become increasingly angered by Rainbow Yoshi, and slapped him in a rash manner.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Can you just help me out here?!"

"Okay, okay! Let's do this in the morning, though, I'm kinda tired..."

"What the- It's only six in the evening!"

"Yeah, point taken, good night."

Without another word exchanged between the two, Rainbow Yoshi sprinted off towards the northeast part of Toad Town, walked into his house, and shut the door. Shy Guy's eye began to twitch.

"Ugh, it's no use getting his attention through conventional means. Looks like I'm gonna have to do this the hard way!"

Shy Guy got out a vial filled with glowing green liquid and threw it at the door of Rainbow Yoshi's house. Then, the house began to shrink in size until it was as tall as Bowser was. Taking care not to make any noise, he rammed through the door, walked inside, then gently pushed Rainbow Yoshi into the front yard with his bed.

"Mmm...Pancakes..." Rainbow Yoshi said, sleeping.

With a shrug, Shy Guy continued to rummage around in his bag until he pulled out a Mini Mushroom.

"Hmm, I wonder if this works on inanimate objects..."

He threw the Mini Mushroom at the already-shrunken house. It shrunk to the size of a Micro-Goomba after a few minutes, leaving torn-up soil as it shrank.

"Ah, there we go! This is gonna get his attention, for sure!"

Shy Guy then put the miniaturized house into his bag, then walked into the inn from across the road.

The next morning, Rainbow Yoshi awoke to find his bed outside and his house gone, as if it had been forcibly uprooted from the ground, which, technically, it had been.

"Wha...What happened to my house?!" Rainbow Yoshi gasped in shock.

Shy Guy walked back to Rainbow Yoshi's front yard.

"Oh, that? Nothing, just me getting your attention the way my friend Luneck did oftentimes with me." Shy Guy gave a smirk.

"Why, you..."

"You want your house back, right?"

"Yeah! So put it back, ya' weirdo!"

Rainbow Yoshi attempted to charge into Shy Guy, who sidestepped away, causing Rainbow Yoshi to crash into a nearby tree.

"Oww..."

"Help me out with this, and I'll consider returning your house."

"Fine. As long as you fix my house when we get back."

"Deal."

Meanwhile, Luigi and Toadsworth were running through Toad Town, being chased by an angry Peach, with frying pan in hand.

"Run faster, old chap!" Toadsworth yelled at Luigi.

"I know! I can hear you!"

The three continued the chase for a long time. A few hours later, Toadsworth was on a piggyback ride with Luigi as Peach tried to catch up to them. Peach was getting tired, so she sat down and took a rest near the base of a tree as the duo continued to run.

"Okay, I think we-a lost her!" Luigi said.

"Good footwork, old chap!" Toadsworth said, applauding.

"Do you-a have to say that every time?!"

"Oh, excuse my manners!"

"Geez, sorry!"

The two continued walking until they had reached the docks of Toad Town.

"So what now?" Luigi asked.

"Perhaps we could take a little adventure, like Mario and his crew!" Toadsworth suggested.

"Hmm. Speaking of-a Mario, I haven't-a heard any word of him for a week now."

"Perhaps he went-"

"Shh!"

Luigi pulled Toadsworth into an alley. The two peeked from the corner and saw a group of Fire Bros, who were patrolling the area.

"Tally-ho, Luigi! Let's run away while we can!"

"Okay, let's go!"

Toadsworth climbed onto Luigi's back, and the green-clad plumber ran off. The two Fire Bros. took notice and ran off after them, throwing fireballs as they went past houses, burning down some of them.

"Luigi, what do you suggest we do now?"

Luigi pondered the question for a moment. Then, he came up with an idea.

"Sorry about-a this, Toadsworth!"

Luigi turned back, grabbed Toadsworth, and hurled him towards the two Fire Bros., defeating them. Toadsworth dizzily landed on the ground as the two Fire Bros. disappeared into clouds of smoke.

"Nice work, Toadsworth!"

"Oh, good heavens, that was completely uncalled for!"

Then, behind them, a group of Hammer Bros. appeared, each with villainous grins on their faces.

"Okay, let's-a go!" Luigi said, motioning for Toadsworth to grab his hand.

Toadsworth grabbed Luigi's hand, and the two dashed towards the docks, the Hammer Bros. walking lazily in pursuit.

"I think we shouldn't have eaten so much for lunch..." One Hammer Bro. said.

"Where do we go now, Luigi?!" Toadsworth yelled.

"Over there! That boat's-a gonna go now, maybe we can get away from them by using that-a boat!"

"All aboard!"

Luigi and Toadsworth ran up the ramp to the boat.

"That was close! At least they didn't follow us here..."

A few minutes later, the Hammer Bros. got to the docks, but by that time, the ramp had been moved elsewhere, and the boat lifted its anchor. Luigi and Toadsworth stuck out their tongues to mock the Hammer Bros., who were sitting on the docks in anger and frustration.

"Everyone on board, destination is set for the northwestern part of Isle Spectriale!"

"Wait, what?!" Luigi yelled.

"I think we're going on an adventure, Luigi..."

Both of them gulped as the boat continued onward to the island that was gradually coming into view.


End file.
